Back Starts

[Pete]

What techniques do you use to stop slipping at the start of Backstroke starts?
I encourage swimmers not to push with the feet until the fingers are past pointing at the ceiling. This also lets the swimmer dive back having unwound.

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Looking forward to hearing from fellow coaches and keen swimmers needing help.

[Steve]

I have been taught in the past to have one foot slightly lower than the other one if the wall is a bit slippy - seems to work most of the time!

Steve

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http://www.pullbuoy.co.uk (http://www.pullbuoy.co.uk/)
the UK swimming site

[Michael]

The pool I train in has a notoriously slippy wall. I have found having my feet apart helps, but the most significant change was when I went from pulling up with my elbows in, to pulling up with my elbows out.

Hope this helps.


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[dad]

pete
in all the times i have sat poolside iv
never seen or heard you comment on
starts. why not post something that you
good at boring sets.time to think

[jimmy77]

One recommendation for you to use is one that some of the Dutch swimmers are now doing. What some of the problem our younger swimmers are having is that they pull themselves up to far. This means that their weight distribution is solely on their toes.

on a very slippy wall that means that there is not a great surface area to generate the friction needed to propell off the wall properly.

One method i was taught is to place one foot above the other. One that i prefere to teach is to hold the block or wall as low as possible. this means that instead of pulling themselves upwards and their weight going down it means that their weight can be applied more into the wall rather than down it (quite difficult to understand). another method is to encourage the kid to try and push their heel in to the wall and hence you will be increasing the surface area of the foot on the wall.

Now onto the complicated way of thinking. I picked this off an emerging young dutch coach. he was saying that instead of pulling upwards i.e bending the elbows so to bring the body literally out of the water, to actually sink downwards more i.e. bring your bum into the wall, and not bring your body out. It sounds wierd but it has the same reasoning as placing your hands lower.

It means that your weight will again be applied into the wall (i could go all biomechanical now but it may get complicated further!) and hence more force can be applied outwards than downwards (hence slippage!)

It is quite a complicated technique that i have only mentioned to quite accomplished backstrokers as young children don't quite understand the concepts. For the youngsters just encourage them not to hold the block as far as possible, not to pull up so far and finally to try and get as much of the foot in contact with the wall.

Hope this helps and wasn't too confusing!!

JD

[mammamedley]

I once saw a swimmer at my club scratching her foot like mad before her race! Made me giggle when I tried it (oh and it didn't work!)

[Pete]

dad
Why have you interupted an interesting topic to knock your son's coach. From what I can see he is a well informed guy and his variety in topic starters on this site shows he is interested in his swimmers and working on the weak points. If you lived in my part of the country you would find yourself without a club to go to. Us coaches have great commradery at meets and mutual respect; full and part timers. Most coaches have little time for trouble makers. Leave it at that and hope he does not take offence.

Ok! Sorry everyone. Let's get on with the topic. Backstroke starts!!!!


Have you tried straight arm starts?

[jimmy77]

Tumbleturner,

What do you mean by straight arm starts? I am thinking at the moment that at take your marks you don't hunch up i.e. flex your arms.....is this correct? If so then it is still on the lines of applying weight into the wall and not down it causing slippage....please correct me if i am wrong!

JD

[dad]

tumbleturner
im sorry you feel iv interupeted such a good
subject and your right the coach is a well
informed guy
but i was trying to point out that because
a subject has been posted by a coach its
not what he might be putting in to practice
my son has lost 3 races in two weeks on his
starts.? why! because the coach has not done
back starts for a very long time my son seems
to have seen someone doing something different and it is not right for him.
i have printed all replys on this subject
to try and get my son to try something new.
im sorry to any one who feels im a trouble
maker but im not just a concerned parent

[Machine Head]

Dad: Can I ask what it is that your son has seen and is trying that is different?

Thank You

[mammamedley]

try www.quickgetaway.com (http://www.quickgetaway.com)
for info on starts

[call_me_dave_uk]

I dont know who this dutch coach is, and i dont even know if i did wot he said exactly right, but i tried the lower-centre-of-gravity start in training this morning and it felt much quicker; i really felt more stable when i pulled myself towards the wall and i got much more acceleration from the push. Thanks for the advice anyway! Wot else is this Dutch guy saying?

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The person who said winning doesnt matter never played competitive sport. He was never a swimmmer.